Animal Awareness Tip: Poison Dart Frogs

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Poison Dart Frogs, found mostly in Central and South America, exhibit a large range of brilliant colors on their skin such as red, green, blue, gold, copper, and black. The purpose of these colors is to warn predators of the potential harm that a frog might cause if ingested. Well, they have the right idea because although these amphibians are extremely beautiful, they are one of the most toxic creatures on Earth. Golden Poison Dart Frogs who are mostly found in the Pacific coast of Colombia can kill a person with only one grain of sand of its poison. The skin of a frog is beneficial to natives there in that they use it to prepare their darts for hunting.

Tadpoles of Poison Dart Frogs climb on their mothers’ backs after two weeks of developing in an egg. They remain there until a home can be found for the tadpole. A mother usually drops their young in tiny pools of fresh water found anywhere from a plant to a tin can. During the time of their growth, the mother excretes an infertile egg into the water for the tadpole to eat. Usually after the eggs hatch, certain poisonous dart frog males return to check on the young and carry the tadpoles on their backs like the mothers. After the tadpole is transported in freshwater by the father however, they are left to take care of themselves.